Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:28:58 -0500
From: chris james <drmeta4@gmail.com>
Subject: On the Wire, Chapters 6 & 7

Dear Reader: adult fiction ahead, show your ID at the door, no one under 18
admitted.

	The reader comments on this story have been very interesting. I can
tell some of you are engaged with the adventure side of the story, that's
good. Some aren't quite sure where I am taking this, that's even better.
Don't you just hate reading a detective novel and have the crime solved in
your mind by Chapter Two? This isn't like that, you'll see. Your comments
welcome.

Chris James
drmeta4@gmail.com




			     On the Wire (M/B)


Chapter Six

	Alan lifted his head when Wilson called out his name.

	"Yes?"

	"I got a call back on that computer equipment," Wilson said. "There
was a rush order out of a New York warehouse that closely matched our
inventory. It was crated and shipped to a distribution center in Baltimore
last Thursday...and then, get this...it vanished. But the order came from a
company in D.C."

	"New York, Baltimore, D.C., those are all Golden Hand sites aren't
they?" Alan asked.

	"Yes they are. Interstate shipping issue too, you wanna notify the
FBI?"

 	"Can we get some leverage on the local level instead? How about we
share some info with the detective bureau in Baltimore and see what they
come up with. Shipping logs, surveillance cameras....some one had to see
something," Alan said.

	Shit, another clue gone missing. It was like that with this case
and it felt like the clock was ticking away. Alan had been furious when
Bucky made bail. That would have never happened if Austin was in custody,
the kid was their ace and he was missing from the deck.

	It had been eight days since Alan had spoken to the boy. Mike had
discovered the Golden Hand site in Chicago back up and running. They had
crowded around as Mike logged in as 'Perky Guy' once again. It seems Kevin
had no idea the man had been arrested. But that was the only bright spot.

	The photo gallery had appeared and it was distinguished by only one
factor, Austin was missing from the lineup. Alan had cringed, hoping it
didn't mean what they had all come to fear. The kid from the pizzeria was
there, Ricky, fourteen...a wiz on the basketball court his bio said. Where
the fuck were they now?

	Alan retreated to his private office, miserable...how had he
allowed this to happen? But somehow he knew Austin was alive, Kevin would
see to that. Otherwise he was sure the boy would have called him.

	There were two options open and Alan had to consider them both
before setting the wheels in motion. The easy way would be to wait for
another call from Austin. But with Bucky on the loose several things could
happen.

	Bucky knew about the sketch and it wouldn't take a large brain to
figure out that someone had fingered him. The organization knew that Austin
had been busted; it pointed a finger in the boy's direction. Even Bucky
could add two and two. It was only a matter of time before Austin received
a great deal of pressure to talk. If anything happened to the boy Alan
would never forgive himself.

	And then there was the final option, the hardest by far. All they
had to do was bring 'Perky Guy' to Chicago on a business trip, order up one
of the boys, have sex with him and then follow the kid home. Yeah, like
they would ever get approval for something that outrageous.

	Alan pounded a fist on his desk. "Damn, Austin, where are you?" he
yelled at the wall. Not that he expected the boy to invite him over or give
away much more. But that one clue had taken them only so far, and worse, he
was sure Austin was aware of that.

	But Kevin had his equipment now and someone had made it vanish off
that loading dock. Alan took a sheet of paper and began to make an
organizational chart. He put the word 'product' in a box at the bottom left
hand corner, which were the boys. Clients went in another box on the right
hand corner. On a line above he put Kevin in a box near the middle.

	Then he wrote down the words
'transport'...'lodging'...'security'...'admin'.  He knew the boy genius
didn't run this thing alone. There was a big boss, but how many layers were
between him and Kevin?

	Alan drew a line to the top of the page and wrote 'boss' in a box,
Kevin was the connection at the bottom. Transport would probably be a lower
function on Kevin's level. Now with Bucky out on bail, would he resume that
function? Presuming they still wanted him to, but he bet against it.

	No, Bucky was out of the picture. The boss would be afraid that his
man was being followed by the cops. That would risk the boys being
discovered. Alan crossed out the word 'product' and wrote in 'assets.' The
word was more apt.

	Lodging, well that was made easier. The site had revealed eight
boys, ages twelve to fifteen. So it seems that the pizza boy Ricky and the
other two had been joined by five others. But Austin was there with Kevin,
so that made ten altogether. That would take a larger place, not an
apartment building.

	Security, now that was an interesting subject, there had to be
some. Just who would provide guards or watchers for a bunch of boy
prostitutes was unimaginable. Alan couldn't see some private contractor
taking on this kind of work, not unless organized crime was involved.

	And Wilson had already laid out the support such an operation would
take. The dummy companies, the networking...he didn't believe that Kevin
could do all that himself. This had to be a satellite operation since there
were a dozen cities involved. They knew how it was done; they just didn't
know who was doing it.

	Alan penned in the final boxes and looked at the chart. Every line
led back to the top box where it said 'boss'. And what kind of a person
could run such a national organization? Alan imagined the guy must travel
quite a bit, could they track him that way?

	The 'Perky Guy' option was starting to look better and better. Call
me boy, damn you Austin.

	"Alan?"

	He looked up to see Mike standing at the door.

	"Sorry to disturb you...Bucky has vanished," Mike said. "That
lawyer from Alderman and Cushing called, the guy didn't make a scheduled
meeting and he wanted to know if we had picked him up again."

	"I imagine he'll turn up somewhere," Alan said. "Come in here a
minute, let me show you something."

	They poured over the organizational chart, trying to find angles,
looking for a weakness to exploit.

	"So there are ten boys, eight of them going out on dates," Mike
said. "We only know of three and Austin, who are the others? They weren't
living at the apartments."

	"I thought about that," Alan said. "What if they aren't runaways
like the apartment kids. What if they live with mommy or daddy and
freelance? Remember the bio on that boy in LA. Home by ten on
weeknights...what if the kids go to school?"

	"You think their parents know what they're doing?"

	"I bet some do. Money has a way of allowing things to happen," Alan
said. "What if these kids are recruited, taught what to do, and then paid
handsomely? They could still go to school and appear to be perfectly normal
kids. Some of the parents might know, others might think their kid is just
engaged in some sports activity. The variations are endless."

	"You think some of these parents might take a payoff to allow their
kids to be prostitutes?" Mike asked. The look of horror on his face said it
all, he had kids at home.

	"I don't want to think about it any more than you do, but we've
seen some pretty sick abusive relationships over the years," Alan said. "If
the kids are in school, don't you suppose there are some photos of them in
a yearbook or something we can find?"

	Mike looked thoughtful for a moment and then grinned. "Yeah, and we
have the face recognition software to make the comparisons for us too. It
might take some time to set up...I better get with it."


					* * * * *


	The house was everything Jack had said it would be...and more. It
was a mansion compared to the other places Austin had lived. His parents
had rented one house after another as he was growing up, and always moved
right before the repossession company arrived to take the furniture.

	Kevin seemed amused at the place, wondering aloud just how many
bedrooms there were in a place like this

	"There are seven bedrooms upstairs, Master Kevin."

	Austin looked yet again at the man who spoke. John Alderman had
presented himself to the boys when the van had first arrived. They had been
forced to stop at the gate where the driver had punched in a code to make
the huge iron fence open before them. Kevin had commented about the stone
walls making the place look secure as the van's headlights swept across
them. Austin had another feeling as well, to him it seemed like a prison.

	This well dressed man had been waiting for them as the van came up
the long drive and through the trees to a brightly lit area in front of the
house. Austin had been told the man was a lawyer and he sure looked the
part. It just seemed strange that anyone would wear a suit and tie at this
time of day in front of their own house.

	John had smiled as they each rolled out of the van and then greeted
them formally when the five boys stood before him.

	"Welcome...welcome, I'm very glad to see each and every one of
you. I know your names and just so we get started on the right foot, you
may call me John...OK? I'm sure you must be hungry so come inside, I've
have some snacks waiting just for you."

	The front hallway had marble floors and held shiny furniture, with
a large sweeping staircase that led up to the second floor. John took them
down the hallway and into a huge kitchen at the rear where a woman stood
waiting.

	"This is Nina, my cook and housekeeper. She doesn't speak a word of
English so unless one of you knows Spanish I'm afraid you'll be out of
luck." Nina smiled and pointed at a table laden with sodas and snacks.

	The boys had just begun to help themselves when another door opened
and a young boy wearing pajamas walked into the kitchen. Austin figured the
kid must be about nine or ten years of age, and from his looks he was
probably Nina's son.

	But rather than approach his mother, the boy walked over to John
and gave the man a hug. John seemed to melt with happiness at the boy's
affection. It left no doubt in anyone's mind what place the kid had in
John's life.

	"And this is Alex, my very special young friend," John said. "Alex,
these are our new friends." And then one by one, John introduced the
boys. "This is Kevin, Austin, Ricky, Kyle, and that one is David."

	"Hello," Alex said with a grin. Each of the boys mumbled some form
of greeting in return.

	"Now it's time for bed, little man...so off you go." John said.

	The boy hugged his mother and smiled at John, giving a little wave
to the others as he went back out the door.

	"Cute kid," Kevin observed.

	"He rules my life," John admitted. "I never want anything bad to
happen to him."

	They were each shown to a room upstairs, all the boys having their
own room except for Kevin; he would be sharing with Austin. That door had a
lock and Kevin was handed the key. Each room shared a bath with the one
next to it, unheard of luxury for boys of their age.

	Down the hall there was a sitting room, complete with an
entertainment center, game equipment and a pool table. John watched as the
boys made the rounds of everything with amazement. It was Austin that
expressed their feelings.

	"Thank you....John, we've never lived this good before."

	"I think you boys deserve a little something considering how hard
you work for the ...uh, company. Mr. G said to take good care of you and I
shall. And since you will be in charge of the boys I will hold you
responsible for their well being too."

	"I don't think there will be any problems," Austin said.

	"I suppose we had better talk about the new situation," John
said. He raised his voice and called all the boys together, having them
take seats before standing like a general in front of the television. "You
boys will be the home team," he began.

	"I'm sure you know that Mr. G has others working just like
you. We'll call them the away team for now. But occasionally some of those
boys will be here for a day or two and I want you to give them the same
respect that you allow each other.

	"I don't expect we'll have to set up any hard and fast rules unless
that becomes necessary due to your behavior. I want each of you to remain
on the grounds unless you leave by permission, and then only if you have an
escort.

	"Some of the away team you will meet tomorrow since their dates
will be arranged from here. You are not to discuss the clients with the
chauffeur who drives you on dates. Any bad behavior by your client will be
reported to Austin and then to me. They know the rules and we don't expect
them to be broken.

	"Needless to say, you will never tell anyone where you live and if
asked you will say that the client needs to talk to me concerning any
change of plans or problems. Mr. G is still very much in charge of this
operation. I am now his eyes and ears...but with all due respect, Kevin
still runs the business here."

	John smiled, looking at each of the boys. "I am happy to have you
here, boys. Not every man gets to have such handsome young men living in
his home, but I do. So it's late, I am off to bed. Try not to stay up all
night, OK? Tomorrow is Friday and another work cycle begins for you guys so
try and get some rest." With that John left and the boys looked at one
another.

	"Do you think Alex is his boyfriend?" David said, expressing the
thoughts of the others.

	Kevin smiled, "I'm sure of that, to each his own I say."

	"What is this away team gonna be like?" Kyle asked.

	"They're just like us, silly," Ricky said. But turning to Kevin he
asked, "Do they get paid the same as us?"

	Austin held up a hand. "Look guys, leave Kevin out of
this. Everyone gets a fair share."

	"In fact, you guys get the same, even though you're more expensive
to maintain," Kevin said. "But we don't talk finances in front of the away
team, OK? Does everyone feel comfortable with John?"

	"Yeah," was the general response.

	"At least he probably won't want freebies like that asshole Bucky,"
David said.

	Austin looked over at Kevin who gave an imperceptible nod. "Bucky
isn't with the company anymore, so forget him," Austin said.

	David grinned in reply. "Anyone wanna shoot some pool?'

	An hour later they were all in bed, the week?s events finally
taking their toll. Austin rolled over and laid his head on Kevin's
chest. Fingers stroked through his blonde mane and Austin sighed.

	"You happy now?" Kevin asked. "You've been on edge all week."

	"For a while I thought we might have to get out of all this. I was
afraid something might happen to you."

	"That cop scared you, didn't he?"

	"He said a lot of shit, Kevin. I know bad things can happen, some
of the clients can be pretty scary."

	"Well you won't have to worry about that anymore, will you? I have
you all to myself now...unless you still want to go out."

	Austin got up on one elbow and stared down at Kevin's face. "No
way, I have responsibilities now, both you and the kids."

	Kevin smiled. "I love you, baby. No one ever made me feel like you
do."

	Austin laid his head back down and the stroking resumed. The boy
was an affection junkie and Kevin knew how much these simple moments of
touching meant. He could relate to that, Jack had given him that sense of
self worth back after they met. Austin was no different; he had run away
because he felt love here.

	The cop had tried to take all that away, Kevin understood that
now. The man was an enemy, even more so now that they had outsmarted
him. But cops never gave up; they would have to be careful.

	He felt Austin's lips on his left nipple. Ah, the boy sure knew how
to please. And as those tender lips slid lower across his belly Kevin
smiled, the cop all but forgotten as Austin found what he was after.

	In the afterglow of another wonderful sexual encounter, Kevin lay
awake with Austin snuggled up close and snoring softly. Jack had really
outdone himself this time. The boy was worth thousands a month in income,
and yet was all his now.

	He was aware that sex alone wouldn't keep Austin content. He had to
find a place for the boy, some involvement in the operation besides the
babysitting. Maybe Jack would have some ideas. Time to try out the new
partnership and see what it was worth.

	Kevin eased out of bed, careful not to disturb Austin's sleep. On
bare feet he padded over to the laptop and sat down at the desk. Tomorrow
they would set up the mainframe in the study next door and he would resume
control of the operation.

	Tonight he opened his instant messaging account and sent Jack a
query. As expected he received an immediate reply.

	G: Hello Handiboi, how's the new place?

	K: Just fine....awesome in fact.

	G: everyone settled in?

	K: yes...John took care of everything.

	G: how's your better half doing?

	K: fine...i wanted to ask...can we give him a greater role to play?

	G: hmmm, what were you thinking?

	K: dunno, he's got the kids to look after, that will include the
others when they start showing up here on weekends.

	G: that sounds fine...has he met Frank yet?

	K: no...hey that would work; he could be the greeter when Frank
makes the rounds. kids would get to know him better that way.

	G: that puts him outside, can he be trusted?

	K: he won't be far from Frank...the parents will love him.

	G: prolly not as much as you do :) its ok with me.

	K: thanks daddy...when will i see you again?

	G: i'll be back in town on tuesday...wanna do dinner?

	K: oh yeah, we haven't been out in the longest time.

	G: too long sweetie, i miss the quiet times with you :)

	K: me 2...gonna set up tomorrow, back online by 3pm.

	G: good, need some relief....seems LA is getting some pressure....

	He and Jack went on to discuss business issues. It was three in the
morning before Kevin slid back into bed; Austin rolled over in his sleep
and cuddled.

	The following morning Austin was the first to arise. He pulled on a
pair of shorts and a skin tight T-shirt before going downstairs. Alex was
sitting with his mother at the kitchen table reading a book.

	"Hola," Austin said, using his one word of Spanish.

	"Hi," Alex said. "I'm teaching my mom some English."

	Nina smiled as Austin looked at the book in her hands.

	"Good Morning...how are you?" She said with a heavy accent,
obviously pleased at her knowledge of the proper greeting.

	"I am just fine, and how are you?" Austin replied.

	"I good," she said.

	"I am good," Alex corrected.

	"You speak English quite well," Austin said.

	"John put me in an American school before we came here," Alex
explained.

	The boy had been staring from the minute he arrived in the
kitchen. Damn, Austin thought, the boy was checking him out. What was he,
ten? Nina got up and offered him some orange juice.

	"Coffee?" Austin asked.

	Nina smiled and went to bring him a mug from the pot on the
counter. He loaded up the black brew with cream and sugar.

	"Is John up?" Austin asked.

	"He's already up and gone out," Alex said. "He's an early morning
person, but I could sleep all day."

	Alex continued to check him out while Nina studied the book.

	"I know why you guys are here," Alex said out of the blue.

	"And why's that? Did John tell you?"

	"Nope, I seen your pictures before," Alex said, and then he
blushed. "Pretty damn sexy."

	"Um...I suppose," Austin laughed. "Did John show them to you?"

	"Nope...I sneaked a look at his computer when he went to the
bathroom." The blush deepened. "You sure are big...uh, down there." The
boy's eyes strayed to Austin's crotch.

	"You sure your mother doesn't understand this?"

	Alex shook his head. "Nope.

	"What are you...ten? What do you know about us anyways?"

	Alex smiled. "You get all sexy with guys..."

	"Um...I don't think John would want us to be talking about this
stuff...do you?"

	"Why not? I do the same things you guys do I bet."

	"Oh...now I know we better not talk about this," Austin said. "I'll
keep your secret but you never say anything about this to the others, OK?
Promise?"

	"But why?" Alex asked.

	"Some things are better off that way. What you do is your private
business. I don't think John would be happy knowing you wanted to talk
about it."

	"Is Kevin your boyfriend?"

	"Yes he is."

	Alex grinned. "I bet you love Kevin."

	"Yes I do. Isn't it fine having someone to love?"

	"You wanna have a threesome?" Alex asked.

	Austin laughed and Alex started to giggle. Nina smiled at their
reactions.

	"My God, where did you learn about that?" Austin asked.

	"John has movies. I sorta borrowed one last month and haven't given
it back yet. But it shows these three guys doing stuff...way sexy and sorta
kinky."

	"Look Alex, I think you spend entirely too much time thinking about
sex."

	"Are you a gay boy?"

	Uh...how did he respond to that? Alan had asked him the same thing
and he had lied. Would it matter if he lied to this boy? Maybe Alex was
gay, but how could he know at that age?

	"I think I am," Austin said, and he knew it to be true.

	"Cool, I never met a gay boy before. I might be gay too," Alex
said.

	"Well don't rush into anything before you explore your options,"
Austin said. "I didn?t know what I was until...."

	Oh God, he had been almost eleven when he had been confronted with
those feelings. He looked at Alex. The boy seemed to understand what he was
feeling and it wouldn't be fair to deny the kid.

	"Go on, be gay if you want...I understand your feelings," Austin
said.

	"Yaaay," Alex said, and he jumped into Austin's lap, giving him a
big hug. Nina smiled at her son and the attractive new boy. She understood
nothing of their conversation, but she knew her boy had just made a new
friend and that pleased her.

	Austin saw her eyes on him and the warmth they exuded. She had to
know of Alex's relationship with John. He didn't judge her as a bad mother,
how could he? His own mother had cursed him and spat upon him because he
was the devil's seed. Nina loved her boy, in her eyes Alex could do no
wrong.

	And Austin felt the tears forming in his eyes. This was one lucky
boy; he had certain love, everlasting love. God what he would have given to
feel one ounce of warmth from his mother.

	Nina got up, a hand resting on Austin's shoulder and then brushing
through his unruly morning hair. She smiled at him and Austin felt shock at
the recognition of his feelings. There was a sadness in her eyes...she knew
his pain. There was no language barrier to that kind of understanding.

	The squirming boy in his lap was one very lucky boy. But at the
same time the little brat was attempting to arouse him by wiggling his butt
against Austin's crotch. God, the thought of John having sex with this kid
was disturbing and at the same time he knew the boy enjoyed it.

	Little David had once told him that he'd tried to seduce a man when
he was eight, but failed. Austin knew there were men who desired younger
boys and he knew there were boys that had the same desires.

	Alan had said he'd seen too much sex in his life already, but was
that wrong? His own desires in fifth grade had gone unfulfilled. Would it
have been better if he'd been allowed to explore those feelings when he was
Alex's age?

	The laws didn't even allow a sixteen year old boy to have sex, it
would never accept a sexual ten year old. Austin knew he didn't feel guilty
even though Alan had tried to convince him otherwise. Under the right
circumstances he knew the cop would have sex with him, the man couldn't
take his eyes off a hot boy. God, have I become that vain?

	He didn't understand why he kept obsessing about that damn
cop. He'd even told the man that if anything happened between him and
Kevin...it was like he had thrown himself at the guy. The thought was
disturbing, was he that desperate?

	The thoughts were interrupted by a man coming through the back
door. He smiled at Nina and helped himself to a coffee.

	"Hey Frank," Alex said. "This is Austin...Frank keeps John's cars
running in tip top condition, don't you Frank?"

	Frank gave Austin a curt little nod, and then beamed at the young
boy. "You got that just right, Alex. You want to help me wash the van
today?"

	"Sure...can Austin come too?"

	Frank smiled, "Yes he can."

	Frank pulled the white van out of the garage as Alex brought the
hose around from the side faucet. 'Greater Chicago Boys and Girls Club'
said the words emblazoned down the side underneath all the tinted
windows. What the hell did that mean, Austin wondered? But Frank didn't
look like he was about to explain. And then the thought came to him all of
a sudden.

	The away team as John called them...this was their transport. Sure,
most of those kids lived at home and this van was the means of moving them
around the city. It was a clever disguise. He would have to ask Kevin if
that was how it worked.

	Frank looked the part of a tough guy, and that was probably why he
was here. Austin imagined that most wealthy guys like John had someone like
Frank around to do their dirty work and offer protection. But judging from
his attitude so far, he was a damn sight better to be around than Bucky.

	Frank kept looking at his watch as if he had somewhere else to
be. And then Austin heard the sound of a car pulling around the house, John
was back. Alex dropped the hose and went to open the car door.

	"Why thank you, young man," John said.

	"You're most welcome, sir," Alex replied with a bow. "May I take
your hat and coat?"

	"That would be greatly appreciated." John replied, taking off his
long dressy coat and handing his hat to the boy.

	Austin realized it was an old game; formal role playing that seemed
to amuse them both.

	"Good morning, Austin....you helping Frank already?"

	"We were just going to help wash the van," Alex replied.

	"That's just fine sweetie, but I need to talk with Austin right
now. Can you please take my coat inside for me?"

	"Sure thing," Alex grinned and he ran with his arms full towards
the kitchen door. John walked Austin over to the back patio and they sat in
the chairs set out under an awning.

	"I see you've already met Frank," John said. "Jack called me this
morning and assures me that he trusts you. I would like you to start making
the rounds with Frank when he picks up the boys in town. Would that sound
like something you could handle?"

	"Uh...sure, I can do that," Austin said.

	"I think you present a nice image. It will be better if you meet
some of these boys and see where they come from. These kids will be part of
your responsibility while here and it will give you a better understanding
of just why they chose to join Golden Hand."

	"Are you a member?" Austin asked. He didn't know why, it just
seemed important to know.

	"Yes, I was one of the first members Jack had back in the
beginning. It's come a long way since then. He's grown into quite the
businessman."

	"So these boys know what they're getting into? I mean the clients
and all that?" Austin asked.

	John laughed. "I assure you, none of them were forced to do
anything. Many of them are much like you, Austin."

	"But they didn't run away, I mean...they don't have to run."

	"And they don't have to do this, is that what you want to know?"
John asked.

	"Yeah, I guess so," Austin replied.

	"Each boy asked to join the Golden Hand, just like you did. I
imagine there are many reasons why it was an attractive choice. But you
know from your own experience that we take care of our boys, no one wants
anything bad to happen to any of you."

	"But things do happen..."

	John's face lost all traces of humor as his eyes wandered out
across the lawn towards the pool. "Yes, things do happen," he said. "We do
try to research every client, but that doesn't always work out."

	"I think Bucky was one of the biggest problems, he is such an
asshole...I'm glad he got fired."

	John smiled. "Jack told me what you had to say about that creep, I
never liked him either if that's any consolation. But he's disappeared,
isn't that wonderful? And I just know you'll do a much better job than he
did."

	Austin tried to keep his face neutral. Kevin had said they would
'take care' of Bucky and now he knew how. Jeez, these guys were fucking
dangerous, he thought. Not that he regretted anything, the guy had been a
menace...and now he was history.

	"So about your duties with Frank," John said, bringing their
discussion back to the present issue. "He drives and you present yourself
to the boy's parents if they are there. There will be a few envelopes full
of information you have to pass along, some go to the parents, others to
the boy himself.

	"The Boys and Girls Club has been a very useful cover. The brochure
we hand out talks about sleepovers and field trips for the boys. Most of
the parents want to believe it, some don't seem to care long as their kid
doesn't get in trouble. Each of them has signed a permission slip to allow
us to pick the kids up for the weekend. Right now there are only eight boys
working, including the three we have here."

	"And what happens when they want to quit?" Austin asked.

	"They get a payoff and that's the end of it," John said. "It works,
Austin, so far it has. I'm sure Kevin will tell you how many boys out there
still want inside the organization, but we have to limit the
participation."

	"So Kevin gets to pick the ones who join, that makes sense."

	"He's a genius...but then you already know that," John said. He
reached in his suit pocket and brought out a short stack of
envelopes. "Each boy's name is written on the front so you'll know who gets
which envelope. Four of them have check marks after the name and that means
the parent gets the envelope not the boy, OK?"

	"Got it," Austin replied.

	"No further questions? Aren't you curious about what's inside?"

	"Not my business, I just do the job and bring the boys back here."

	John laughed. "Yes, you do that. I think we're going to get along
just fine."

	Austin grinned. "That's the point, isn't it?"

	"It seems that Alex has taken a shine to you...that's good. I was
worried that he might get lonely here without any boys his own age. I can't
always be around to entertain him."

	"Your boyfriend is very smart...and so is mine, guess we're both
lucky," Austin said.

	"Just keep him out of trouble, that's all I ask," John said.

	"Sure thing. Um, where should I keep these?" Austin asked, holding
up the envelopes.

	"Just put them in the glove box of the van and take them out as
needed. Frank will tell you the order of each pickup as you make the
rounds. You start at four this afternoon and you'll be back by six-thirty,
just in time for dinner. Nina always sets out a fine meal on Friday
nights."

	"Will I need to go out with any of the boys on delivery?" Austin
asked.

	"I don't think so...well not yet. I was thinking that when we get a
new boy it might bolster his confidence if you went along for the limo ride
the first few times he meets a client. You do know you will have to teach
the new ones what is expected of them, has Kevin talked to you about that?"

	Austin blushed. "Um, no not really...but I sorta got the feeling
that was part of the job. I guess Bucky used to do that, but he hurt them."

	"And you won't," John said. "Don't be embarrassed, Kevin knows what
you'll have to do, he'll explain it."

	"Yeah, he gave me the speech when I first arrived...but I never had
to put up with Bucky breaking me in."

	John sighed. "Then you'll be the one to show them what is expected,
probably after Kevin gives his little speech. Most of you boys come on
board with some sexual experience, but there are a few who lie about it. It
won't be hard for you figure out what they already know and teach them the
rest."

	"I get to teach them how to be sexy," Austin said.

	"Yes, you got it. You understand that a client wants to feel proud
of what he does with our boys and he wants them to enjoy it too. I know
there's a bit of acting involved, some of these clients aren't the best
lovers and the boy has to make them feel like they are. I seem to recall
you were much in demand, which means you must be a great actor yourself."

	Austin laughed. "Yeah, I understand the game."

	"So you make sure the new ones understand it too. Nothing but safe
sex, I don't want any sick kids." John smiled. "Sorry, I'm telling you
things you already know."

	"Um...when do you suppose there might be some new boys joining up?"

	"Kevin is working on one right now. With you out of the lineup we
needed a replacement. He's a bright boy...in fact I chatted with him last
night."

	"Really? Um, did we ever talk before I got here?" Austin asked.

	"Yes we did, you know me as King4U."

	"Wow...I never would have guessed. You were so...so good for
me...thanks for all the help you gave me."

	John smiled and then stood up, the conversation was over. But just
as Austin was about to go back and help Frank, John stopped him.

	"I never knew how bad your life was before you came up here, but
boys don't run away when things are good at home. I remember those sad
nights when BL69 used to tell me what was wrong about his life. It seemed
like you were pretty close to ending it all on several occasions, and I
just couldn't let that happen, Austin. I'm the one that bought your plane
ticket to freedom."

	Austin's face lit up, the sudden joy bringing tears to his eyes. He
threw his arms around John and hugged him tight. "Oh God...thank you,
John. I owe you so much."

	John hugged back. "You're worth every penny...the best investment I
ever made."

	"Ah Ha," a young voice said from the edge of the patio. "You guys
need to get a room?" Alex laughed.

	Austin laughed and motioned the boy to join them which he did very
quickly.

	"What are we hugging for?" Alex asked.

	"I just discovered what a great guy John really is," Austin said.

	"Well...I could have told you that," Alex laughed. "He's the
greatest."

	John leaned over and kissed the boy on the forehead, and then
thinking about it a second he did the same to Austin. "You're both
special," he said. "Is anyone hungry besides me?"

	"We already had breakfast, but I could use a snack," Alex said.

	"That's my growing boy," John said, grabbing the kid by the
shoulders and pointing him towards the kitchen door. Austin tagged along
and then saw Frank busy with a soapy sponge on the side of the van.

	"I'll help Frank finish up and catch you later," Austin said.

	He went to the passenger side of the van and put the envelopes in
the glove box. It didn't take much imagination to know that they each
contained cash. It was disconcerting that some of them would go straight to
the boy's parents, but then he didn't understand the setup, maybe he never
would.

	And it was Alan's words about having a normal life that crept back
into his mind. There was nothing normal about what they were doing here. He
hadn't seen what these other boys were up against at home, he only knew
that his parents had provided nothing he ever wanted to experience again.

	It would be so easy to slip away now. All he had to do was take the
envelopes and run instead of bringing the boys back to the van. Alan would
protect him he was sure, but for how long? Jack and John certainly had the
means to track him down and if he was caught he?d end up like Bucky, he'd
just disappear.

	No, it was too soon to think about leaving...and then there was
Kevin. He didn't know what to think about the boy anymore. Yes they had
love, or what passed for it. But did Kevin have others before him? It
almost seemed certain that was the case. There were so many boys and too
much temptation to believe anything else.

	 He had to stay and see how things played out. If nothing else he
needed something to trade with the cops. For if he did leave, his survival
would depend on the organization going down in a big way.




Chapter Seven

	There were times when Alan felt like the technology they had at
their fingertips would replace all of them. Robocop would become the wave
of the future and they'd all be pensioned off to some home on the Florida
coast.

	Mike had fed the boy's photos into the software in column A and
pulled the school files into column B. There were about two million photos
in the database they tapped at the Cook County Board of Education, about
ten year's worth of kids.

	It didn't take a warrant to access the information which was in the
public domain, but that meant they had to take all the kids, both boys and
girls. The software cranked away a good while before giving them three
thousand hits to look at.

	OK, nothing was perfect, Alan thought, at least they had narrowed
it down. The search parameters couldn't be absolute. Kids grew their hair,
changed the color and grew older. It meant they wouldn't have to worry
about Robocop anytime soon.

	Wilson joined in and he sat with Mike while reviewing the
possibilities scrolling down the screen. They divided the photos into three
categories. The ones the software said were exact matches, too few of those
to make anyone happy...just two to be exact. There were possible matches
that needed to be studied further, a bunch of photos that looked right
except for some detail or another.

	Mike laughed at the third category once he realized that the
database was flawed. There were a few girls that ought to be boys and vice
versa, who knew why? Someone at the Board of Ed had screwed up that was for
sure.

	The two matches were quite close, remarkably so, and enough to make
Alan hand them off to Wilson for the background checks. Brett had been
following up on Bucky's disappearance but he gladly shoved that aside for
the moment.

	 Mike continued with the possible matches and came up with a third
after a while; he was added to Wilson's list. And then the debate began.

	"The manpower to stake out these boys is gonna be a tough one,"
Alan said. "And I imagine we might be too late for a start this week...it's
already Friday afternoon."

	"It might be too late, but we could each go check out an address
and just see if there is anything unusual about their homes," Mike
suggested. "I guess we just need to find something they have in
common. Like how does Golden Hand get to these boys, how are they moved
around?"

	"Yes, transportation...that's the key," Wilson said.

	"Has to be someone with the knowledge of where each boy lives, and
I bet Bucky had all that information in his head," Brett said.

	"OK, you each take an address, but don't give them a chance to spot
you," Alan said. "Don't even think about following the boy if you spot
him. We don't know enough about their arrangements yet. I can't go with
you, they know my face. We blow this one and we are sunk, you got that?"

	They each took a printout with the street addresses and a photo of
their particular boy. Alan would remain behind and coordinate. On the
street he would be a liability thanks to Kevin.

	This little game of chess they were playing fascinated him, but now
it was their move. He fully expected that Kevin had realized the
possibility of them being discovered this way. Posting the boy's photos on
the site was a business necessity, but there had to be a counter move in
there somewhere. Did they think that the site could never be breached?

	It had been ten days since he had last spoken to Austin and he
wondered what the boy was up to. Alan knew if the boy cried out for help
that he would move heaven and earth to save the kid. It was more than a
physical attraction, he was out to save all those boys...and thus himself.

	Taking down Golden Hand was becoming an obsession that would
consume him if they didn't get a break very soon. With Austin's help it
would be easier but he couldn't count on that now...maybe he never
could. The boy had his own ideals about the world of men. But for a few
moments in time they had seemed to connect, to be a part of one
another. Just give me a chance boy, please let me become a part of your
life, Alan thought.


					* * * * *


	The van pulled into the Kmart shopping center off Harlem Avenue at
around four-thirty. Austin wasn't sure what this meant, but Frank seemed to
know the routine. They were both wearing red and gold Polo shirts with the
words 'Boys and Girls Club' embroidered above the left pocket. Austin was
supposed to be a counselor. John had told him this was the role he was to
play in public.

	Frank pulled around to the side parking lot and smiled. "There they
are."

	Austin saw two boys standing with a woman behind a car. This would
be Steve and Josh, the first of their pickups. And as they drove up the
boys each hefted a backpack, while a man got out of the car and joined
them.

	Austin got out as the boys opened the rear door and tossed their
packs inside. He had been told the boys knew the routine and all he would
have to do was smile at the parents as he handed over the envelopes.

	"My goodness, you look mighty young to be a counselor," Steve's
mother said right off.

	"Why....thank you," Austin said. He laughed as he handed her an
envelope. The man said nothing and just took his payoff.

	"You boys be careful and have a good time," Steve's mother said.

	"Aw Mom, I'm fine...OK?" Steve replied.

	Josh's father had said nothing and the boy didn't even seem to
notice.

	Steve's mother waved as they drove away, and then in the side view
mirror Austin watched as she tore open the envelope. They had to know their
boys were doing something, the cash payoff they had so quickly accepted
said as much.

	"Where's Bucky?" Josh asked.

	"He doesn't work for us any more," Frank said. "He moved to Florida
last week."

	"I wondered why you guys called things off the last two weeks,"
Steve said. "Um, OK...and who are you?" he asked Austin.

	"I'm Austin, I took Bucky's job."

	"Good, I hated that asshole," Josh said.

	Frank laughed. "That seems to be a unanimous opinion amongst all
the boys I believe."

	"Is there work lined up?" Steve asked.

	"Yeah, there's a full schedule," Frank said.

	"Cool, I want that new PS2 game I saw yesterday," Josh said.

	The boys in the back started up a conversation about gaming systems
while Austin looked out the window. Now he understood how it was done. The
boys were brought to a public shopping center and picked up there. That
meant the van was never seen at their house which provided a sense of
security.

	The next Kmart was on Ashland, again two more boys, but only one
parent. Tim and Jerry quickly got in the van as Austin gave Jerry's father
the envelope. The man looked grateful while at the same time Austin could
smell the liquor on his breath. And as they drove away Tim held out a hand
for his envelope.

	The boys all knew each other and the gaming system debate continued
as they headed south. This time Austin was surprised when they pulled into
the Kmart off Pulaski Road. This was a pretty upscale neighborhood for boys
to be working the game.

	But the final two were waiting by the corner of the store. Austin
looked for a parent but the boys seemed to be alone. He was supposed to
give one of the envelopes to Andrew's mother but there was no sign of her.

	The two boys threw their packs in back with the rest and climbed
in. Again the question about Bucky and Frank gave them his answer. Brandon
settled in after receiving his envelope.

	"Where's your mother, Andrew?" Austin had to ask.

	"Um, she wasn't feeling well," he replied.

	"Probably snorted some bad shit," Tim laughed.

	"Shut the fuck up," Andrew yelled. "May I have the envelope?"

	Austin handed it over and Frank smiled. "Don't worry, this has
happened before."

	They came to a stoplight and Frank turned around to look at the
boys in back. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. I hope everyone is ready for a
busy weekend. Now before we get back to the house I want you to pay
attention. Austin here is the new manager since Bucky decided to leave
us. I warn you, he has full authority over you boys and that means if you
disobey him you'll be benched. Do I make myself clear?"

	"Yes, sir," the boys all replied in unison.

	"Are there any problems we need to know about?" Frank asked. "No
one ever has issues, do they?" He laughed and took off when the light
changed. The ride back to the house was anything but quiet. A van full off
teenagers just seemed to produce noise.

	Austin looked back occasionally to see how the boys were doing. He
inspected them one by one and found that none of them were lacking in good
looks. Each of the boys was unique in appearance and none of them presented
a bad image.

	He imagined that Josh was the youngest at about twelve and Tim the
oldest at maybe fifteen. They averaged about fourteen he decided, a time of
changes in outlook and appearance. Each of them appeared to be well into
puberty, and that included young Josh.

	He didn't think Jack would allow his boys to be anything
else. Golden Hand was not about to deal in little kids. As expected they
arrived back at the house by six-thirty.

	"OK guys, grab your stuff and take it up to your rooms. Wash up for
supper and then I'll introduce you to the others," Austin said. The boys
seemed to accept his authority without question and did as they were told.

	Frank gave him a smile as they pulled the van around back. "You
won't have any problems with them I think, you aren't at all like Bucky."

	Austin was met at the kitchen door by Alex. The room was filled
with the wonderful smell of whatever Nina had created for their dinner.

	"Wow, that sure smells good....what's for dinner?" He asked.

	"Mom made a huge roast with lots of potatoes and veggies," Alex
laughed. "John makes sure we all eat real well every weekend."

	"Good, I'm starved," Austin said. "Where are the others?"

	"Everyone is supposed to meet in the sitting room before dinner is
announced so you better hurry."

	The room was quiet when Austin arrived and John had just finished
introducing the home team to the away team. The boys eyed one another with
simple smiles. Austin could almost feel the sexual tension in the room and
he wanted to laugh.

	"Austin, glad you could join us. As I was saying boys, Austin is
the new house manager...that means he's your boss."

	Ricky gave out a brief giggle and John turned to look at him. "You
have something to share with us?"

	"Austin is cool," Ricky said. "It's hard to think of him as a
boss. He's not at all like...?

	Austin held up his hand and Ricky went silent. "I don't think we
need to say anything more about that other person, those days are gone. You
respect me and you'll get the same in return. I have only one job to do and
that's to take care of you guys."

	He looked over at John and saw a smile of satisfaction. John stood
up and clapped his hands, "Is anyone besides me hungry?"

	The boys all filed into the dining room and took seats around the
large table. There was huge roast sitting at the end in front of John's
place, while a half dozen large bowls of assorted goodies were spread out
down the length.

	Each boy sat, removed the napkin from his plate and placed it in
his lap. Ricky giggled and leaned over towards Austin.

	"We had a lesson in table manners this afternoon when you left," he
whispered.

	"Good, that's very important information, thanks," Austin replied.

	John smiled. "Yes, the boys did very well today. It's important
that all of you know how to eat properly. Some of our clients will take you
out for dinner just to show you off to their friends. You will have to look
the part of a favored nephew sometimes."

	He stood up and began carving on the roast as the boys passed their
dinner plates along for a portion.

	"Excuse me sir," David said. "How will we know what part to play?"

	"OK, fair enough. We don't usually talk business at table Master
David, but this evening I suppose we must. Master Tim, do you want to
explain how it works?" John asked.

	"The client will usually meet you at the door when you
arrive. Sometimes he comes down and just gets in the limo if you are going
out somewhere. Other times he has to come down and let you in the lobby of
his apartment building. There are all kinds of places these clients live,
and most of them are really cool, you'll see.

	"But if you're going out he will generally call ahead and ask that
you be dressed for whatever the occasion is. I suppose Austin will probably
be the one to tell us about that now. So the client will tell you who you
are going to meet and where you are going. For instance, he will tell you
that you are supposed to be his sister's kid and that you are just visiting
him for the weekend. It's simple stuff to remember."

	"Well said, Master Tim," John said. "And just so you know, we have
a whole wardrobe of different clothing upstairs for you to wear. Most times
they want you to look well mannered and positively handsome. Occasionally
they will take you swimming or to a ball game, we also have outfits for
those occasions."

	Andrew raised his hand to speak and John gave him a nod.

	"Last month this client took me to a Bulls game. We sat in a skybox
and everything, it was awesome."

	John smiled. "I bet you had a great time, Master Andrew. Just
remember one of our rules is to never reveal the name of a client to
anyone, and that includes talking amongst yourselves. Our clients trust in
us and we value their secrets. You may certainly discuss the fun times all
you want; it's a part of the experience."

	Austin watched the meal progress, evaluating the whole process for
later thought. John seemed to enjoy leading the company, and the formal
manners he used seemed to have an effect. Still, he corrected a lapse in
table manners here and there as he saw them. Elbows on the table seemed to
be the favorite offense tonight. Nina got a round of applause when she
presented a cake for dessert and she blushed furiously.

	Curiously, Austin noted that Alex was absent from the table. But it
occurred to him that although the boy was living here, he was apart from
the reason they had all gathered. John probably didn't want the boy
influenced by what he might overhear. The kid seemed to know too much
already.

	By seven-thirty the boys had finished and were sent off to dress
for the evening out. Showers were mandatory and Austin had to
supervise. Getting nine boys ready all at once proved quite a chore but an
hour later they were done. Out front there were six limousines waiting,
while inside John lined the boys up for inspection.

	"I know this is different than what you experienced before. But our
business is expanding and I want to make sure we present the best possible
image out there. You all look quite handsome tonight, charming in
fact. Have a good time and call if there are any problems, OK? Everyone
have their phone?"

	The boys all nodded before he opened the door. John held a list in
his hand, the assignments for each boy and the car they were to take. One
by one he directed them to a limo. Josh and David were riding together for
the same client, as were Tim and Andrew.

	Having double dates was not all that unusual Austin knew, some
clients just wanted twice the fun. He had doubled with Kyle about six
months before. The client wanted to watch them in the act before he chose
Kyle for the final performance of the evening. Austin had watched as Kyle
handled the man with ease and still had enough stamina to thrill the
client. There had been a big tip for them both that night, but he knew who
had earned it.

	Not that he really missed going out. But Austin felt a sense of
loss as the limos cruised down the driveway in formation. Bucky had always
delivered them in that old Lincoln of his, nothing like the limos these
boys got to use tonight. John had definitely brought a level of class to
the operation.

	John went off to find Alex, and Austin took a glass of chocolate
milk upstairs to Kevin. The boy was off in the deep blue world of the net,
his fingers furiously working the keyboard. He set the glass down on the
side table within easy reach and Kevin gave him a quick "Thanks."

	Austin settled back on their couch and perused the cable channels
for something to watch.

	"Shit...shit...shit," Kevin yelped. He picked up the cell phone
beside him and hit a button. There was an immediate response.

	"Larry...what do you know about Perky Guy being busted?" Austin
heard him say. Kevin waited for a reply and he didn't look happy.

	"Well I think we have a breech of security, take that name off the
valid list right now," Kevin said. He waited for a response.

	"His name came up in the arrest reports for LAPD. We should have
caught that weeks ago....Yes I know, he logged on yesterday...Well not if
he is in jail he won't...It can't be him...Someone is shadowing us, I can
feel it here...Yes, I am gonna call Jack right now...We might have to
re-issue the passwords...Yes, it's a big fucking deal, you think I need all
that extra work?...Bye yourself."

	"FUCK," Kevin screamed and Austin came up off the couch in a flash.

	"What?"

	"I think the fucking cops got into the site through a client in LA
who got busted last month. It might even be your cop friend downtown. Damn
they are good."

	"Can you trace where they logged in?" Austin asked.

	"Not if they're smart I can't. Shit, they probably have the whole
gallery downloaded by now. I have to call Jack, this is serious."

	He picked up his phone and hit another button. He sighed and then
said "Jack?"

	Austin turned to leave, knowing that most of these calls to Jack
were private. But Kevin grabbed his arm and pulled him back, turning so
that Austin could sit in his lap.

	"Jack...we have a breech in LA...I think the cops have a name and
password."

	Kevin listened to Jack talk as he pulled Austin's head down on his
shoulder and began stroking the boy's hair. Austin reached his arms around
Kevin's back and hugged. He could tell that the boy needed comfort; there
was a crisis in motion here.

	"I already had Larry kill the access code, but they were in
yesterday and the client was arrested last month. We didn't catch the news
but it couldn't be a legitimate logon....I'm worried about the gallery,
faces are the only source of access they might ever have to our boys...You
know what kind of software is out there...Yes please, get back to me."

	Kevin dropped the phone on the desk. "I screwed up, plain and
simple, but Jack will take it out on Larry."

	Austin sat up. "Why is this your fault?"

	"Because Larry works for me, he runs LA but I'm supposed to
supervise him. Actually he's very good, this was something really
stupid. And I suppose when we went down the load fell on his shoulders. He
missed some small detail like checking the arrest reports against our
client list. Simple, but probably fatal if it's your cop buddy."

	"He's not my buddy, he's the enemy," Austin said.

	"I have to respect their ability to penetrate our security, but we
made it easy this time. I may have to shut down the site if it's not too
late, but I think we are too far gone for that to help much. They have the
photos of our boys. That's what I'd go after if I was a cop."

	"What can they do with a photo?"

	"A lot if they have the software to use for comparisons. How many
of our boys have Myspace accounts do you suppose, or school pictures? It's
a simple matter of time to look through a million faces and see if there's
a match. They are on to us again, I can feel it."

	"I'm the only one they know for sure," Austin said. He thought
about that for a moment. "Could I lead them away from us?"

	Kevin smiled, brushing a hand across Austin's cheek. "You'd really
do that to protect me wouldn't you...how sweet. But we're safe here, don't
worry. And I know Jack has a friend or two downtown, we'll get a warning
before anything comes our way."


					* * * * *


	By nine o'clock Alan knew that their surveillance of the boy's
homes was a bust. There had been some activity, a woman driving up and
going inside at one place, a man doing much the same at another. But no
sign of the boys or anything suspicious.

	It was as he had first thought; they were too late to catch
anything going on this weekend. Somehow the boys had eluded them which
seemed to point towards parental involvement in the deception.

	On a Friday the boys would get out of school at three o'clock,
three-thirty the latest. If they rode a bus home that would add an
additional hour to their schedule. So if Mom or Dad were to drive them then
they could stop off somewhere for a meeting with Golden Hand
transportation, say four or four-thirty.

	Yes, that was it. The boys were probably meeting away from the
home, someplace public and not obvious. Alan pulled out a city map and
marked the locations of each boy's home. So what would be a convenient
midpoint from the kid's school? He marked the schools each kid attended and
sat back to study the relationship.

	What was he looking for? A library, a grocery store, a shopping
mall? It had to be someplace where a parent and child wouldn't be
noticed...there were hundreds of possibilities. Damn it all.

	He called the assignments off for the night. None of the guys had
anything suspicious to report, it was a total bust. Alan knew he would pull
them all together tomorrow and hash out the mess. Maybe they would
recognize a similarity, a pattern that would point the way. It was a real
long shot. Worse if they didn't even have the right boys. This was crap.

	Alan turned out the lights and was just about to lock up when his
cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and didn't recognize the
number...there was no name.

	"Hello?"

	"You guys are having real fun aren't you?" The familiar voice said.

	"Austin?"

	"The one and only...hey Alan."

	"I was getting worried...is everything still good for you?"

	"Yes, well except we know you guys got inside the site....didn't
you?"

	He shouldn't give away knowledge of their investigation, but then
Austin had made it possible.

	"Yes we did, it was quite a revelation," Alan said. "I noticed you
weren't in the lineup anymore."

	"They gave me an inside job. Probably afraid you guys might see me
out there in the world. Um, so did you get what you needed?"

	"Are you referring to Bucky?"

	"Naw, he's toast by now. I won't be seeing him again unless I end
up in hell." Austin gave a short barking laugh after that.

	"They have a strange way of terminating employment...does that
worry you?"

	"Not at the moment, I'm good here," Austin said.

	"You called for a reason, Austin...something's on your mind."

	"Um...well I'm bored. Kevin is busy with the crisis you created so
I took a walk in the yard. Do we still have our deal?"

	"Yes...yes we do. I will protect you, I promise. Is everything good
between you and Kevin?"

	"Yeah, I suppose, but Kevin gets more upset all the time. His job
is too hard for one person to handle and Ja...um, the boss is always away."
Austin laughed, "I almost said his name, didn't I? That would have been
stupid."

	"Do you want all this to end, Austin? Is that why you gave me that
clue?"

	A momentary silence dragged out into seconds of dead air time.

	"It all has to end somehow, doesn't it?" Austin sighed. "Nothing
good can come from all this. I don't want to see another boy get hurt like
that kid Jody."

	Alan almost gasped. Austin knew the name of a victim, a boy he had
been shown at the station. He didn't want to press, but that just made him
more valuable to their investigation. It also linked Golden Hand to the
murder.

	"I'm glad you feel that way," Alan said.

	"You bet. If anything bad like that starts to happen again...it was
Bucky did it, you know. I got told that much."

	"Thanks for that at least," Alan said. "Did you know his real name
was Eugene Fenster?  No wonder he wanted to be called Bucky."

	Austin started laughing, and the sound gave Alan a thrill, but it
was cut short.

	"Shit...got to go." And the call was terminated.

	God, he hoped the boy hadn't been caught on the phone...that would
cause real problems.

	Alan leaned back in his chair, feeling Austin's presence in the
surrounding darkness. The sound of that laughter had made him smile. He
could almost see the boy's face, head thrown back as he laughed. Damn he
was incredible.

	The boss was named Ja...something.  Ja...Jack? The J had been hard
as in Jack, there was a new clue. But hearing the name Jody was most
disturbing. Austin had heard that somewhere since Alan had never identified
the dead boy.

	So Bucky had murdered the kid, or so it had been alleged. It gave
them a perp but no resolution if Bucky was dead. Austin seemed pretty sure
the guy was eliminated. That had to intensify his fears. Still, they would
put out an APB on the guy and notify the FBI they had a murder fugitive,
maybe he would turn up.

	And Kevin was bending under the pressure...good. They had to turn
up the heat somehow. There had to be something that would push Kevin hard
enough for the boss to relieve him of duty. Then...maybe then Austin would
call and ask to be rescued.

	Alan smiled...and rescue them he would. He wanted Austin to give
Kevin up; it would tumble the whole disgusting scheme. Kevin might be a
fucking genius but he was still young, he would break down under
interrogation. Yes, he would give them everything once he discovered that
Austin had switched sides.

	Alan stood up and walked to the door. Time to go home, they would
fight again tomorrow. And then his phone rang again. The same number...it
was Austin...but why? And in a split second decision Alan decided he had to
answer deceptively.

	"Hola amigo, es ello tiempo para otra cerveza ya?" Alan asked in
his very best Spanish accent. There was only silence...but he could hear
breathing and then the call disconnected.

	So Austin had been caught on the phone...damn. He hoped the boy was
alright. But whoever had hit the redial was probably very confused at the
moment. Alan grabbed a sheet of paper and copied down the phone number. He
would never answer the phone if that number came up again...Austin's life
might depend on it.

	"Hello friend, is it time for another beer already?" Alan chuckled,
now what had possessed him to say that? He'd said it because Austin would
know he was aware of the danger.

	The waiter at the Mexican restaurant where they had eaten asked
that very same question. He had translated for the boy's benefit and Austin
had remarked on his knowledge of Spanish. It had been a shared experience,
something the boy would remember. Damn it boy, be careful.


					* * * * *


	John had seemed to come out of nowhere. One moment he had been
talking to Alan and then he caught the movement out of the corner of his
eye. John and Alex had been sitting on the patio steps, probably watching
him the whole time. Thank God he had been quiet, well until Alan made him
laugh.

	"Who were you talking to?" John asked, taking the phone from
Austin's hand.

	"Nobody important...a friend," Austin replied.

	John had looked at the screen on the phone. He hit the redial
button and turned the phone's speaker on. A voice answered in Spanish and
John looked puzzled, then he hung up.

	"You called some Mexican?" he asked.

	"Yes...we met at the arcade..."

	"He said something about getting another beer...you speak Spanish,
Austin?"

	"I know a little, but he has terrible English. He was one of
Bucky's dealers I guess, but I know what he wanted from me," Austin
said. "Well, he was kinda nice and they had some good pot."

	He was sweating now. The lies would bury him if he kept it up much
longer. But Alex had his arm around John's waist and that gave Austin
another place to focus his nervousness.

	John smiled and the moment of concern seemed to pass. He put the
phone in his pocket and gave Austin a fatherly look.

	"I'm sorry, but you can't make calls like that. We have a lot at
risk here, Austin. You have to give up all those people, especially anyone
that had anything to do with Bucky. I hope you understand that."

	Austin lowered his eyes. "Yes...sorry John, you're right."

	"You need a connection for something to smoke go ask Frank from now
on, OK?" John said.

	"Really? OK, thanks," Austin said.

	"It seems we all came out for the night air," John said.

	"Um, things were getting a little tense upstairs," Austin said. "I
had to get away for a while."

	"Pretty soon it will be warmer and I can open the pool," John
said. "Someone I know looks just amazing in a bathing suit."

	"I bet he does," Alex responded. "Wait...you're talking about me?"

	"No, I meant Frank...of course I meant you," John laughed. "But I
imagine Austin here looks pretty good in a bathing suit as well."

	Alex grinned. "Yup, can't wait to see that myself."

	Austin laughed at the boy's obvious fascination. He just hoped John
wouldn't think he was interested in the boy for anything...no, he wouldn't.

	"Hmm, it seems you have a fan club, Master Austin," John said. And
then he laughed. "Where do I sign up?"

	Austin felt himself blush at the attention and was thankful it was
too dark to be noticed. He gave a shiver as his nerves calmed down and John
seemed to notice.

	"Come on, it's still a bit chilly out here, we ought to go back
inside. Maybe Nina can find us some hot chocolate."

	"Yaaay," Alex screeched, and he went skipping off towards the
kitchen door.

	John laid a hand on Austin's shoulder and held him back, allowing
the little one to run ahead.

	"You need to settle down here, my dear. I know it's hard to give up
everything you were used to, but this is much better for everyone...safer
too. If the pressure gets too great you're welcome to join us, Alex really
likes you...and I do too.

	"Sometimes I don't know how Kevin does it all, but I can see how
obsessive he gets. That has to take a toll on your relationship, Austin. I
wish there was some way to give him some relief."

	"I couldn't begin to understand things at his level, he does it all
so easily," Austin said.

	John laughed. "Don't feel too bad about it. Jack actually tried to
explain it all to me and I threw my hands up in surrender. It's just too
complicated for us mere mortals, the ordinary folks."

	"Kevin says it's like a living beast that never sleeps and it's
always trying to eat you. If it's all that, then why does he keep doing
it?"

	"Because it's Jack's baby, and I think Kevin loves that man more
than anything," John said. "It's an obsession they share because of the
challenge. I'm sure we see only the half of it and I know it's grown so
huge I often wonder if they really control it anymore. I know it would
drive me crazy."

	Austin thought a moment, wondering if he ought to express his true
fears to this man. But something made him hold back, something told him
that John wasn't being completely honest. All this affectionate talk had
seemed...well, fake, as if the man was just trying to get into his head.

	"I can't worry about it that much, I just don't understand how it
works," Austin said. There, maybe that would let John believe he wasn't
concerned.

	"It shouldn't be your worry, you have a job to do and from what I
see you are doing it just fine."

	"Thanks," Austin said. And John released his grip.

	Austin joined them in the kitchen for hot chocolate. Watching the
antics of the man and his boy gave him a sense of regret. Kevin had no time
for such silliness in his life. But if it all went to hell he wondered what
would happen to Nina and her son.

	John's comment about Kevin's relationship with Jack had struck him
as a solid truth. From the moment he had seen those two together he had
felt like the outsider. Kevin had said there was never anything sexual
between them, but then the look in Jack's eyes said something
different. The boy would be a man in just a few short months, would those
feelings change?

	He could understand...Jack was a powerful person in Kevin's life,
he offered security. The same feelings had come over him when he met
Alan. It was as if finally there was a man who cared about him, someone who
could love and protect him.

	But Alan had thought he was only sixteen and that was why the man
had hesitated. He felt a little guilty for that since he had lied about his
age, just as he had lied about his mother and where they lived. Kevin would
be eighteen in two months and Austin would cross that line himself a week
later. He had been holding that information back from everyone, but he was
sure Alan would welcome the news once he was told.

	Alex was teasing John, pretending to spill his drink on the man's
lap. It was silly, so childish, but John loved every minute. Such a lucky
boy...and he didn't even know it. Austin knew his life would have been so
different if he had met someone like John at that age. But all the men in
his life had either wanted to use or abuse him; he'd never been given the
choice.

	Austin got up and headed towards the hallway. Alex called his name
but he waved the boy off and climbed the stairs. He had some thinking to
do. Turning away from the room he shared with Kevin, he sought out the
quiet space of the boy's lounge at the other end of the long hallway.

	The room seemed so empty with all the kids out for the evening, but
that was just what he needed right now. He threw himself down on the couch
and buried his face in a pillow.

	He recalled Alan's voice on the phone tonight. The man had promised
to protect him once again. Maybe he was reading too much into it, but he
wanted to believe Alan really cared. And that business with the Spanish,
that was priceless...but what else?

	Alan had seemed to know something was wrong, he was playing it
safe. John had understood the words too and that made all the difference to
the lies he told. Score one for Alan; it had been a smart move.

	Yes, the man was smart, and he had provided cover for the phone
call. How had Alan known it wasn't him calling back? But it wasn't the
first time Alan had tried to protect him, he was living up to his
promise. Did he really have feelings for the guy?

	And he remembered the first time those eyes had studied him. It was
right after the cuffs were removed and he had squatted down to talk. Yes,
those warm brown eyes had sparkled with interest and given away his inner
feelings.

	Austin rolled over on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. He
remembered seeing Alan's thoughts reflected in those eyes, as he had seen
so many men's eyes appraise him. But it had been a shock coming from a cop,
and then Alan had admitted his feelings. That had been amazing, the simple
honesty had floored him...and attracted him even more.

	This was all like living in some bad dream and he felt as if
everything around him was going to crumble. He could never forget that John
was Jack's partner, and that made him dangerous too.  That Mr. Nice Guy
routine earlier had been a total fake, he couldn't trust the man.

	Getting caught with the phone had been stupid, now he would be
watched more carefully. But this house was little more than a fancy prison,
he'd felt that when they first arrived. Even Frank was watching him...and
what was with that comment about getting pot from the guy? Did John even
care?

	But it all came back down to Kevin; he didn't dare make a move
now. No, long as the boy was protecting him he would be alright, John
couldn't touch him. Austin closed his eyes and conjured up an image of
Alan. He didn't think the man was more than thirty years old, his body
still seemed powerful...yes, and he did have a nice body.

	Austin didn't know how long he'd been asleep, but he must have
drifted off at some point. The sounds of a boy yelling in the hallway
jerked him awake. The clock above the rack of pool cues said it was
one-thirty in the morning.

	David ran in the room and plopped down on the couch beside him.

	"Hey sleepy-head, you been here all night?" David asked. "Why are
you still up?"

	Austin grinned, struggling to come awake. "Had to check on you
guys, didn't I? How did it go?"

	"Joshy and I had a great time; we got a humongous tip too. The
client has this huge condo that looks out over the lake, we musta been up
like thirty stories or something, it was awesome. We worked our tails off."

	"Well one of us did," Josh said from the doorway. "Jeez, David...I
did all the work."

	"Nope, you had all the fun, silly," David replied.

	Josh walked over and stood in front of Austin. "The guy had David
do it with me like three times. The man was so fucking old I was afraid he
was gonna have a heart attack just watching us. I didn't think he could
even get it up."

	"Well I finally got him there, didn't I?" David said.

	"And I got enough to buy at least six games for my PS2," Josh
laughed.

	David began to blush, a tinge of red showing behind his
ears. "Uh...maybe I should ask him now?" Josh nodded.

	"Ask me what?" Austin said.

	"Uh, well Josh says I owe him one and I was kinda wondering, it
being fair and all...can he sleep in my bed tonight?" David asked.

	Austin laughed, the boys were insatiable. "Go for it if you still
have the strength left to get it up."

	"Oh yeah, I am so gonna rock his world," Josh grinned.

	"Just don't wear it out, either of you," Austin said. "You both
have dates again tonight. Shit, its late...you guys better get to bed right
now."

	The boys laughed and ran from the room. Austin sat up, suddenly
wondering if any of the others had returned. He started down the hall and
heard voices in the downstairs hallway. Taking the stairs quietly, Austin
came down to find Kyle in the front hall with three others and John.

	John gave him a smile. "Seems everyone had a good time."

	"Yeah, Josh and David said the same," Austin replied.

	"Where are Tim and Andy?" Kyle asked.

	"Oh, they'll be spending the night with their client, he called
earlier," John said. "They hit the jackpot it seems. I talked to Tim and he
seems fine with it."

	"Guess that means everyone else should get to bed, OK?" Austin
said.

	A mumbled chorus of 'yes, Austin' followed as the boys climbed the
stairs. John gave him a smile. "They listen to you, that's important."

	"But they won't sleep for a while," Austin said. "I never could
after a date. You get all wound up and the excitement takes a while to cool
off. I'll go keep an eye on them."

	"You have good instincts, Austin. I think Jack made a good choice
giving you charge of the boys," John said.

	Austin gave back a blank stare. "It will be easy until some asshole
does something stupid to one of them, there's always at least one."

	"Jack says he checks the clients out very carefully," John said.

	"Yeah, like they're gonna tell him if they have something rough in
mind. We risk more than a little bit of sex out there, John...sometimes
these guys turn into freaks. I just don't want anyone to get hurt, that's
all."

	"Did you have some bad experiences yourself?"

	"Let's just say that Bucky was around for a reason, and now he's
gone. Maybe he liked the rough stuff himself, but he didn't let the clients
get carried away and they respected him," Austin said.

	"So you think we still need some muscle to keep the clients in
order. I wondered about that," John said.

	"Well Bucky was an asshole, don't forget that, but he did his job,"
Austin said.

	"Maybe I should discuss this with Jack? I mean Frank and some of
his friends are fully capable of handing...uh, difficult situations, that's
why he's here."

	"You do that," Austin said, "They might be needed." He turned to
climb the stairs and John called out.

	"Austin...I'm glad you care. We share these concerns, and I'll do
something about it, I promise," John said.

	Austin paused, "Good night, John. I didn't mean to scare you, but I
want you to understand that these kids have real lives. Something bad will
happen sooner or later, we just have to know that we can deal with it."

	John nodded in reply. "Yes, your point is well taken. Good night
yourself."

	Austin climbed the stairs and almost laughed. The look on John's
face had been priceless, and he had discovered that the guy could be
manipulated. Sure the clients could turn bad, but they had a lot to lose if
they did. Just knowing that Frank would be focused on watching out for the
boys would make his life easier, especially if he decided to take himself
away from all this.

	Kevin was lying on the bed fully clothed when Austin returned to
their room. His eyes were open and yet he seemed a million miles
away. Across the room, the computer screen was alive with activity and yet
he didn't seem to notice...or even care.

	Austin knew he shouldn't disturb the boy, and so he crept back out
into the hall to check on his kids before settling in for the night. He
paused at Josh's bedroom door and heard sounds from within. He smiled,
knowing full well what was going on and that any intrusion would be
unwelcome.

	There was light under the bedroom door that Kyle and Ricky shared,
but he could hear them talking quietly and decided they would be off to
sleep very soon. But further down he heard the soft sounds of music from
Brandon's bedroom. Josh usually shared with him, but not tonight. Austin
knocked quietly on the door.

	"Come on in," Brandon yelled.

	Austin opened the door and found Brandon sitting on the bed in his
boxers. The music was coming from the iPod the boy had on his lap. What got
Austin's attention was that it didn't sound at all like rock or even any
kind of pop music he knew.

	"I heard your music..."

	"Beethoven...5th Symphony," Brandon said, pulling the headphones
off his ears and allowing Austin to hear the sounds more clearly.

	"Uh...classical music?"

	"Yup, that's what I like," Brandon said. "Now you think I'm weird."

	"No, I never said that," Austin replied. "But it is unusual."

	"I play piano too and I wish this house had one. What brought you
to my door?"

	"Just checking on all my guys...did you have a good evening out?"

	"Oh yeah, I love it when some old fart tries to lie on top of
me...it was a wonderful time."

	Brandon's level of sarcasm left no doubt that he didn't like what
he was doing with the clients, and that made Austin wonder why he was even
here. Every one of the boys had their different reasons for accepting the
work; he just hadn't had the time to talk to them all.

	"So you wanna tell me why you accepted this job?" Austin asked.

	Brandon looked disgusted, but he sighed. "Cause I'm a little fag
and if I don't then my dear sweet mother will throw me out on my ass,
that's why. She takes the money I give her and keeps her fucking mouth
shut. If you have a better way for a fourteen year old gay boy to make
money I'm listening."

	Austin went over and sat on Josh's bed. "I did it for the almost
the same reason, but I ran away first."

	"Ya, I heard about you. But you don't have to deal with clients
anymore. I've been doin this since I was twelve and I'm stuck with it."

	Brandon lay back on the bed with a sigh and stared up at the
ceiling. Austin appraised the boy's body and knew he was probably a
favorite with a lot of the clients.

	"So you want something from me?" Brandon asked.

	"Something...I don't understand?" Austin replied.

	"I mean you took Bucky's place...do you want to fuck me or
something? He did whatever he wanted with me because I couldn't stop him. I
got used to it. After that first time when he hurt me so bad, I got used to
it."

	Austin felt ashamed; he should have known that Bucky was doing the
boys behind everyone's back. He got up and went over to Brandon's
bed. Taking the boy's hand he put it on his chest and held it there.

	"Brandon...I swear, I will never touch you like that. What Bucky
did was wrong and I can't fix that, but I will be your friend if you want."

	Tears formed in the boy's eyes. He wanted to believe Austin was
different, but he had seen so much it was hard to trust. They stared at one
another for what seemed like forever, and yet Austin gave him all the time
he needed to understand that this was no lie.

	Brandon cleared his throat. "You really mean that?"

	"Yes, I do."

	Austin leaned down and kissed the boy on the cheek. "Now we both
better get to bed, it's very late. We can talk again after breakfast if you
want."

	Brandon sat up and gave Austin a real good kiss on the lips. It was
over very quickly and then he smiled.

	"Kevin is a very lucky guy, do you know that?"

	"I think so," Austin said. "But I kiss my friends too if it makes
them feel good."

	Brandon laughed and looked down at the tent in his boxers. "Hmm,
didn't know it had any feeling left after my date this evening. Down
boy...good doggy."

	Austin laughed and left Brandon getting settled down for the
night. He returned to his bedroom. The computer was on standby, casting a
soft light across the room. Kevin was under the covers so Austin removed
his shoes, and then undressed.

	They usually slept in the buff together, but even his naked
presence didn't seem to affect Kevin. Maybe something else had happened
while he was out.

	He slid under the covers and Kevin rolled over.

	"Boys all OK?" he asked.

	"Fine...how's my boy?"

	"I traced the intruders and hit a wall I couldn't penetrate. Only
people have that kind of defense are usually with the government. It was a
local source, probably the cops here in town. So we have to assume they
have the galleries to use against us."

	"What will that mean?" Austin asked.

	"I don't imagine the clients would be too happy if they got busted
because one of those faces is seen in their company. So the boys can't go
out in public, I've already sent out cancellation notices for tonight's
clients."

	"Damn...does that mean we're out of business?"

	"The real crisis will happen next week when the boys return to
school. I imagine the cops will be there waiting...we have no defense
against that. Jack is thinking about it and all I got was a headache so I
shut down."

	"Aw Kevin...can I get you something?" Austin asked.

	"I could use a handful of new boys and someplace to stash the
others...got any ideas?"

	"John said you might have some new ones lined up pretty soon. Any
chance of speeding that up?"

	"Nope, my guess is maybe two of the ones I chat with are ready to
come across, but they haven't asked to get out yet...remember, you asked,"
Kevin said.

	"Why can't we keep the others here for a while, can't we make some
deal with their parents?"

	"We can't just take them out of school...ahh, you know that's not a
half bad idea."

	Kevin threw his arms around Austin and smothered him in kisses. One
thing leading to another and it was almost an hour later when they finally
fell apart. They both lay back, appetites satisfied for the moment.

	"God, I didn't think I had the strength left," Kevin laughed. "You
are just an awesome lover...lover."

	"My pleasure, I'm sure," Austin said, and he joined the laughter
until they were both close to tears.

	"OK...OK," Kevin gasped. "Enough of that, I can't breathe." He
coughed a few times and settled back. "Jack will be here tomorrow about
three; we're all going to have a meeting."

	"The boys included? I didn't think Jack wanted them to meet him..."

	"He's changed his mind; we're all in this mess together. I want you
to tell him your idea. Having the boys all stay here might work...we could
get them a tutor for the schoolwork."

	"Has he ever considered having the clients come here? I mean we
could throw parties and there are lots of bedrooms," Austin said.

	Kevin started laughing again. "Oh sweetie...you think John would
feel like he was running a brothel? I don't see him going for that unles he
was friends with the clients...sorry. But I will try and hurry the other
two along. You know what that means don't you?"

	"Yeah...I have to break them in," Austin said. "I don't want to
hurt some little kid, Kevin. How old are they?"

	"Adam is thirteen and Jason is fourteen, sorry."

	"Why doesn't John do it? He likes the young ones."

	"You think I'll be jealous?" Kevin asked. "John won't touch them,
he likes them much younger, look at Alex."

	"I just don't understand that, Alex is just a...well a baby,"
Austin said. "But I think he already knows he's gay."

	"Well look at them, they're in love...not my problem," Kevin
said. He leaned over and kissed Austin. "And when you break in the new boys
I'll know they had a wonderful teacher."

	Austin groaned. "You want to make a child molester out of me."

	"No, we call those guys clients," Kevin said, and that set off
another fit of laughter. Austin laughed along and then gently began rubbing
Kevin's back. The boy seemed to melt into the mattress and within a few
minutes he was fast asleep.

	Austin continued the gentle stroking as he thought about what lay
ahead. Breaking in the new boys was something he really didn't want to
do. The association of that act with Bucky was still fresh in his mind, and
he just couldn't begin to see himself in that role. He had to think of a
way around it, maybe they already had the experience. Kevin hadn't been
clear on that point.

	But he would have to get the boys all together after lunch.
Preparing them to meet Jack would be easier if he handled it. If all the
boys ended up staying here then he would have to get used to the idea. He
could see a lot of problems ahead.

	His arm was tiring and so he rolled over, snuggling up close to
Kevin and ready for sleep. He wondered what it would be like to snuggle up
to Alan like this. Just feeling those arms around him would feel like
heaven he was sure. It gave him a warm feeling to know that the man was out
there waiting for him to call.